Predator Drones and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)

News about predator drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 31, 2015

Facebook announces that Aquila, unmanned drone that could eventually be integral part of aerial Internet network, is ready for testing after 14 months of development; drone is solar-powered and is intended to beam data through lasers; Facebook hopes system could be used to bring Internet access to remote areas. MORE

Jul. 26, 2015

Teju Cole On Photography column submits that advances in human flight, from hot air balloons to drones, are linked to new ways of viewing world and capturing images of it, as well as new ways of carrying out warfare from above. MORE

Jul. 20, 2015

Drones flown by hobbyists seeking dramatic video footage are interfering with efforts to fight California wildfires; aircraft sent to drop water or chemicals onto fires are often recalled due to danger of collision with drones spotted in area; legislation proposed in California aims to make it easier to identify drone pilots as well as allow criminal prosecution for those flying near fires. MORE

Jul. 17, 2015

American drone strike in Somalia kills Shabab commander and other members of Islamist extremist group. MORE

Jul. 16, 2015

American military has expanded airstrikes in Afghanistan, including new campaign against Islamic State; intensification of strikes by drones and warplanes comes six months after Pres Obama's declaration that combat mission in country had ended. MORE

Jul. 14, 2015

Op-Ed article by Pratap Chatterjee warns of psychological toll that drone warfare has on operators, pilots and analysts employed in drone program; calls for congressional hearing in which veterans involved in drone program can directly recount their experiences in order to promote transparency about targeted killing operations. MORE

Jul. 10, 2015

American drone strike in eastern Afghanistan kills two senior Pakistani militants who pledged allegiance to Islamic State. MORE

Jun. 25, 2015

British intelligence documents provided by former National Security Agency contractor Edward J Snowden to The Guardian news media describe American drone strikes that killed Khadim Usamah, along with other such airstrikes and counter-terrorism efforts; documents raise possibility British intelligence agency Government Communications Headquarters aided American targeted strikes. MORE

Jun. 23, 2015

Defense Dept reports that Tunisian Islamic State militant Tariq bin al-Tahar bin al-Falih al-’Awni al-Harzi, 'person of interest' in 2012 attack on American consulate in Benghazi, Libya, was killed by American drone strike near Mosul, Iraq. MORE

Jun. 19, 2015

Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent spokesman Usama Mahmoud posts pictures on Twitter that appear to show American aid worker Warren Weinstein before he was killed in American drone strike in Pakistan. MORE

Jun. 17, 2015

Air Force is being forced to cut back on daily number of drone flights in overseas conflict zones due to operator burnout, even as military and intelligence officials are requesting increase in number of flights needed to handle escalating clashes; wave of remote pilots, worn out by job's unique stresses, are choosing to retire once their obligation to Air Force is complete. MORE

Jun. 17, 2015

News Analysis; United States has been successful in killing terrorist leaders, but continued chaos in Yemen and Libya underscores limitations of Obama administration and its Western allies. MORE

Jun. 16, 2015

United States officials investigate reports that Nasser al-Wuhayshi, leader of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, has been killed in Yemen in American drone strike. MORE

Jun. 9, 2015

Families of Yemeni police officer Waleed bin Ali Jaber and cleric Salem Ahmed bin Ali Jaber, who were killed by 2012 American drone strike, file lawsuit in federal court in Washington, DC, with help of international human rights group Reprieve; suit does not seek monetary damages but asks court to declare strike unlawful and impose public accountability for drone program. MORE

Jun. 7, 2015

May. 16, 2015

Federal Aviation Administration's proposed rules governing use of drones for commercial reasons has generated large amount of excitement among farmers, many of whom use drones illegally to monitor their crop and lands. MORE

May. 15, 2015

Secret Service arrests man after he flew small drone in close proximity to White House; man's intentions remain unclear; incident is second time in past five months that agency found drone flying so close to White House, underscoring difficulties of protecting the president's residence. MORE

May. 8, 2015

Nasr bin Ali al-Ansi, senior leader of Al Qaeda in Yemen, is killed in American drone strike. MORE

Apr. 26, 2015

Obama administration and congressional officials reveal in interviews that congressional oversight of CIA drone program, currently under harsh scrutiny, is less stringent than lawmakers assert; despite lack of oversight, program enjoys broad and deep support in administration, Congress and CIA, despite drone strike that accidentally killed two hostages; top CIA officials like Michael D'Andrea have cultivated that support by forcefully defending program to lawmakers in private. MORE

Apr. 25, 2015

Counterterrorism officials say general success of American drone strikes over years in targeting and killing Al Qaeda's top leaders in Pakistan have significantly weakened the militant group; say Qaeda's leadership is now likely more focused on survival rather than plotting attacks on West. MORE

Apr. 25, 2015

Unidentified man is arrested in Japan after turning himself in to police saying that he flew drone with small amount of radioactive material onto roof of office of Prime Min Shinzo Abe to protest country's nuclear policy. MORE

Apr. 25, 2015

Pres Obama addresses issue of weighing security against risk to civilians, specifically referring to January drone strike that killed American and Italian hostages in Pakistan, in speech to intelligence officials in McLean, Va; he has tackled issue more publicly than previous presidents, as he has tried to steer away from messy ground wars of past. MORE

Apr. 25, 2015

Editorial applauds Pres Obama's apology for American drone strike that killed Al Qaeda hostages Warren Weinstein and Giovanni Lo Porto in Pakistan in January 2015; holds more such transparency is needed around program that often has unintended consequences and is of questionable legality; calls for White House to provide full account of number of civilians killed by American drone program. MORE

Apr. 24, 2015

News Analysis; death of American aid worker Warren Weinstein in January drone strike highlights technology's unsettling imprecision, and raises hard questions about Pres Obama's reliance on their use; independent investigations reveal far higher rate of civilian casualties in drone offensives than government has disclosed; deaths have bolstered critics who say strikes involve unacceptable level of guesswork and unintended destruction. MORE

Apr. 24, 2015

Central Intelligence Agency first became aware of botched drone strike in Pakistan when six bodies were pulled from rubble rather than expected four; still, it took weeks before agency confirmed deaths of American Warren Weinstein and Italian Giovanni Lo Porto in attack; so-called 'signature strikes,' which do not require identification of human targets and which were supposedly suspended by Pres Obama in 2014, have been criticized for their high civilian death toll. MORE

Apr. 24, 2015

Officials disclose that January drone strike in Pakistan claimed lives of American aid worker Warren Weinstein and Italian man Giovanni Lo Porto, who were both held hostage by Al Qaeda; Pres Obama issues rare personal apology for deaths in attack meant to wipe out Al Qaeda compound; grave error came despite months of surveillance and marks a searing moment in controversy surrounding drone war and targeted killings. MORE

Apr. 24, 2015

Pres Obama announces that California native Adam Gadahn, al Qaeda translator and spokesman, and another American-born Qaeda leader, Ahmed Farouq, were killed in January in separate strikes against terrorist targets in Afghanistan-Pakistan border region. MORE

Apr. 24, 2015

Family of Warren Weinstein grieves over his death in American counterterrorism operation against Al Qaeda, which had held him hostage since 2011; remember him as compassionate aid worker who worked tirelessly to improve living conditions of Pakistani people. MORE

Apr. 24, 2015

Friends and colleagues recall life of Italian aid worker Giovanni Lo Porto, who was killed along with American hostage Warren Weinstein during United States counterterrorism strike at Al Qaeda compound in Pakistan in January. MORE

Apr. 23, 2015

Small drone that may have carried traces of radioactive cesium is found on roof of Tokyo office of Japanese Prime Min Shinzo Abe; officials do not know when drone landed on roof and report no evidence of damage, but discovery prompts concerns about terrorism. MORE

Apr. 23, 2015

Law enforcement officials in both United States and abroad report incidents in which smugglers have used drones to fly contraband, including cellphones and drugs, over prison fences to inmates waiting in recreational yards; some drone manufacturers have agreed to use 'geofencing' software that can prevent drones from flying over specific locations. MORE

Apr. 15, 2015

Al Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula says American drone strike has killed Ibrahim al-Rubeish, top ideologue and spokesman for its branch in Yemen. MORE

Apr. 14, 2015

Study published by legal advocacy group Open Society Justice Initiative finds Obama administration is setting dangerous example by not following its own rules for avoiding civilian casualties when conducting drone strikes in Yemen; administration continues to keep all information about drone strikes secret despite promises of greater disclosure. MORE

Apr. 13, 2015

Arraignment of Texas-born suspected Al Qaeda operative Mohanad Mahmoud Al Farekh on terrorism charges follows prolonged manhunt and intense debate over whether he should have been targeted by drone strike in Pakistan; Farekh would have become second American citizen targeted overseas without trial; case bolsters argument that capturing militant suspects is both more feasible and more valuable than killing them. MORE

Apr. 8, 2015

Islamabad High Court orders criminal charges to be filed against former CIA station chief Jonathan Bank and ex-CIA lawyer John A Rizzo over 2009 northwestern Pakistan drone strike that killed the brother and son of local resident Kareem Khan. MORE

Apr. 7, 2015

Advances in sensor technology, computing and artificial intelligence are raising possibility that planes could be piloted by robots, as well as question of how necessary human pilots are to commercial flights; deliberate crash of Germanwings plane in French alps has made idea of computer-controlled planes more appealing to some, but others question whether passengers will trust robot. MORE

Mar. 26, 2015

Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg is expected to reveal more details about company's plans to use drones to beam high-speed data to some of world's remotest regions via laser; comes on heels of company announcing that it is opening up its code for mobile messaging app Messenger, among series of moves to broaden company's influence. MORE

Mar. 25, 2015

Officials say Pres Obama's decision to keep 9,800 American troops in Afghanistan through 2015 is partly meant to support counterterrorism moves there, including CIA's ability to carry out secret drone strikes; decision comes after daylong White House meeting with Afghanistan Pres Ashraf Ghani and is necessary response to expected springtime resurgence of Taliban aggression and to give Afghan forces more training. MORE

Mar. 20, 2015

Federal Aviation Administration gives Amazon permission to conduct test flights of its delivery drones outdoors; it will probably be years before online retailer can begin delivering packages to people's homes from the air. MORE

Mar. 19, 2015

Pentagon says Adan Garar, senior member of Shabab militant group, was killed in drone strike in Somalia. MORE

Mar. 19, 2015

Justice Department says it will not criminally charge federal employee Shawn Usman, who was flying a private drone that crashed on White House grounds in January; Federal Aviation Administration starts investigation to decide whether Usman should be fined. MORE

Mar. 18, 2015

Syrian state news reports an American surveillance plane was shot down near Latakia by country's air defense and televises loading of plane pieces by soldiers; American defense officials confirm losing contact with MQ-1 Predator and are investigating what would be first downing of US aircraft in Syria since fight against ISIS began in 2014. MORE

Mar. 14, 2015

United States military officials are assessing results of drone strike in Somalia that targeted Adan Garar and two other members of Shabab extremist group. MORE

Feb. 26, 2015

Paris police arrest three Al Jazeera journalists for flying drone over large part on western edge of city; arrests come amid mounting anxiety over unauthorized objects seen in city's skies; journalists are thought to have been capturing footage for news piece, but flying drones over city without permission is prohibited. MORE

Feb. 25, 2015

United Nations-mandated cease-fire monitors want more drones and radar systems for their mission in Ukraine conflict with Russian-backed separatists. MORE

Feb. 19, 2015

Editorial welcomes Pres Obama's measures to oversee drone use by government agencies, but says they fall short of fully protecting Americans' privacy; notes Federal Aviation Administration's latest proposals allow commercial use of drones but with restrictions; contends that with such a new technology, efforts must be made to lay down appropriate uses for such devices. MORE

Feb. 18, 2015

State Department issues new rules for international export of armed drones, move that attempts to keep American lead in fast-growing market; use of weapon is likely to increase in fight against terrorism. MORE

Feb. 16, 2015

Federal Aviation Administration's proposed rules for commercial drones are less restrictive than current ones but may preclude type of delivery services companies, like Amazon, are exploring; rules include restrictions on speed, altitude and hours, and also require operators to see drones with naked eye; Pres Obama, in effort to address privacy fears, signs memorandum requiring government agencies to publicly report drone use. MORE

Feb. 15, 2015

First column by Prof Jelani Cobb confesses to buying drone merely out of curiosity; examines the roots of seemingly widely held fear of drones, and concludes that they are not unjustified; suggests that the problem with drones is not one of technology, but of the mischief humans will inevitably engage in. MORE

Feb. 6, 2015

Drone strike in Yemen reportedly kills four members of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, including prominent figure Harith al-Nadhari, who had publicly praised Paris terrorist attacks. MORE

January 14, 2006, Saturday

By DAVID S. CLOUD and CARLOTTA GALL; David S. Cloud reported from Washington for this article, and Carlotta Gall from Kabul

Nearly three days after a Chinook helicopter went down in heavy combat in eastern Afghanistan, American troops were able to reach the crash site and recovered the bodies of all 16 troops who were aboard, military officials said. But Pentagon...